ETEC 171 CH 1-4
"Abortion is murder plain and simple, and anyone who doesn't believe it is just ignorant," is an example of a/an A) argument. B) explanation. C) unsupported assertion. D) illustration.
unsupported assertion
During the 1930's and 1940's, the Nazi regime in Germany murdered and torture millions of innocent people. According to Cultural Moral Relativism,: A) what the Nazi's did was obviously wrong and should be condemned by all moral people. B) what the Nazis did was right for the Nazis, since genocide was an integral part of their cultural beliefs. C) the murder and torture of innocent people is objectively wrong. D) None of these.
what the Nazis did was right for the Nazis, since genocide was an integral part of their cultural beliefs
An ambiguity that results from faulty grammar or word order is called a A) syntactical ambiguity. B) semantic ambiguity. C) over general ambiguity. D) referential ambiguity.
syntactical ambiguity
When a term's meaning gives rise to difficult "borderline" cases, it is said to be vague. A) True B) False
true
When an author expresses what they mean by a word, they are giving a stipulative definition. A) True B) False
true
When developing a definition by genus and difference, it is important to make sure your definition is neither too broad nor too narrow. A) True B) False
true
When we hold inflated views of our family, our community, or our nation, we are guilty of group bias. A) True B) False
true
Whether or not a term is overly general usually depends on the context in which it is used. A) True B) False
true
Which of the following is not true of an invalid deductive argument? A) An invalid argument will always have at least one false premise. B) An invalid argument can have any combination of truth or falsity in the premises and conclusion. C) An invalid argument is always 100 percent invalid. D) In an invalid argument, even if the premises are true, the conclusion may still be false without causing any logical inconsistency.
An invalid argument will always have at least one false premise
Which inductive pattern does the following argument best represent? "The human brain is like a very complex computer. Both a computer and the brain receive and store data for future reference. Both make calculations and draw conclusions from data they have collected. But when a computer is filled with inaccurate information, it will nearly always yield inaccurate calculations and yield false conclusions. Hence, it seems likely the same is true of the human brain. For these reasons, it is imperative that we avoid filling our brains with inaccurate and misleading information." A) Statistical argument. B) Argument from authority. C) Predictive argument. D) Argument from analogy.
Argument from analogy
Identify the main conclusion in the following argument: Capital punishment must be abandoned until it is possible to guarantee that innocent persons are never executed. In the past year alone, DNA evidence has exonerated at least 13 individuals convicted of capital crimes in the state of Illinois. History has also shown that the public desire for a swift resolution of social ills has often led to the scapegoating and execution of people who were not guilty. This shows that there are serious problems with the justice system as it is presently structured in cases concerning the death penalty. A) There are serious problems with the justice system as it is presently structured in death penalty cases. B) Capital punishment must be abandoned until it is possible to guarantee that innocent persons are not ever executed. C) Many people who are innocent have been subjected to capital punishment. D) Capital punishment is inherently wrong.
Capital punishment must be abandoned until it is possible to guarantee that innocent persons are not ever executed
Which of the tests below would be most effective in determining that the following passage contains an explanation? "Hawaii is a popular vacation spot because it has temperate weather almost year round." A) Common Knowledge Test. B) Past Event Test. C) Author's Intent Test. D) Principle of Charity Test.
Common Knowledge Test
Which of the following is not one of the intellectual traits of critical thinkers discussed in the text. A) Critical thinkers love truth and are curious about a wide range of issues. B) Critical thinkers are intellectually honest with themselves, acknowledging what they don't know and recognizing their limitations. C) Critical thinkers never back down from a good argument, pursuing victory in every dispute they are engaged in. D) Critical thinkers are aware of the biases and preconceptions that shape the way they perceive the world.
Critical thinkers never back down from a good argument, pursuing victory in every dispute they are engaged in.
Which of the responses below is an over general answer to the following question? Highway Patrolman to driver: Just how fast do you think you were driving? A) 70 miles per hour. B) Less than 150 miles per hour. C) Exactly 5 miles per hour above the speed limit. D) At the speed limit.
Less than 150 miles per hour
Which of the following is best treated as a statement? A) Would you please stop making that noise? B) Ouch! C) Get out of that burning house before the roof collapses. D) I hate the taste of pineapple.
I hate the taste of pineapple
Which of the following is an example of a conditional statement? A) If George maintains his present popularity, he will be a shoe-in for the Republican Nomination. B) George will choose either Dick or Jeb as his running mate C) The President should not pander to public opinion. D) No President has ever been re-elected during a recession.
If George maintains his present popularity, he will be a shoe-in for the Republican Nomination
Which of the conclusions below does not logically follow from the following passage: The right to life is the most basic human right, the one on which all other rights depend. Thus, regardless of the nobility of our ends, human beings should never be intentionally killed by the state. A) Since convicted murderers are humans, they should never be executed. B) The death penalty constitutes a violation of the executed prisoner's right to life. C) Even if the death penalty leads to a safer society by deterring would-be criminals, capital punishment should nonetheless be abolished. D) If executions of criminals ultimately leads to less killing in society, then the death penalty should be endorsed.
If executions of criminals ultimately leads to less killing in society, then the death penalty should be endorsed
Which of the following is not true of a strong inductive argument? A) If the premises are true, then the conclusion is probably true. B) If the premises are false, then the conclusion is false. C) The premises provide probable, but not logically conclusive, grounds for the truth of the conclusion. D) The premises, if true, make the conclusion likely.
If the premises are false, then the conclusion is false
According to the text, which of the following is not true about assumptions? A) The practice of thinking critically demands that we become aware of our own thinking, including our assumptions. B) Unwarranted assumptions are unreasonable. C) Some assumptions are reasonable. D) It is both possible and beneficial to uncover every assumption that informs our thinking.
It is both possible and beneficial to uncover every assumption that informs our thinking
Which deductive pattern does the following argument represent? "If the Warriors are ever going to develop a competitive playoff team, they will have to spend what it takes to get a premier player. But the Warriors will never spend that kind of money on one player. So, the Warriors will never develop a competitive playoff team." A) Argument by Elimination. B) Modus Tollens. C) Categorical Syllogism. D) Chain Argument.
Modus Tollens
Identify the genus in the following definition: Pornography is obscene material that includes explicit images of sexual behavior, which is likely to cause offence to most members of society. A) Obscene material. B) Anything that includes explicit images of sexual behavior. C) Anything that is likely to cause offence to most members of society. D) Magazines and videos that portray sexuality.
Obscene material
1 Which of the following is best treated as a non-statement? A) Philosophers have long gray beards and wear glasses. B) Philosophy is dangerous C) Can't you understand that without justice there will be no peace? D) Please pass the salt.
Please pass the salt
Which of the following represents a definition by subclass for the term "religious leader?" A) Pope John Paul, The Dalai Lama, and the Rev. Jerry Farwell. B) Priests, rabbis, and clerics. C) A respected and usually learned member of a religious denomination. D) All of these.
Priests, rabbis, and clerics
Which of the following argument patterns is not deductive? A) Modus ponens. B) Argument by elimination. C) Statistical argument. D) Argument from definition.
Statistical argument
Identify the main conclusion in the following argument: Every year, innocent people are released from prison when new evidence arises proving they are not guilty of the crimes they were convicted of. This alone is good reason to reject the death penalty. But that's not the only reason. The death penalty is also ineffective as a deterrent. Besides, the number of appeals and other safeguards required in death penalty cases are an astronomical cost to the system. A) Innocent people are often convicted of crimes they did not commit. B) The death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent. C) The death penalty is too expensive. D) The death penalty should be rejected.
The death penalty should be rejected
Identify the problem with the following definition: Art is an original product of human creation involving the use of paints and/or sculpture. A) The definition is too narrow, since it leaves out many objects that obviously are art, but which do not involve painting or sculpture. B) The definition is not objective, since it relies upon emotionally charged language. C) The definition is too obscure, since it uses technical jargon that most readers will not understand. D) There is no problem with the definition.
The definition is too narrow, since it leaves out many objects that obviously are art, but which do not involve painting or sculpture
Which of the options below best represents a persuasive definition for the term "profit." A) The return received on a business undertaking after all operating expenses. B) An advantageous gain or benefit. C) The money factory owners steal from their workers by keeping wages low. D) A net gain.
The money factory owners steal from their workers by keeping wages low
Identify the possibly manipulative emotive word in the following description: The President made several thoughtful recommendations to the House Budget Committee. A) Recommendations. B) Several. C) Thoughtful. D) House Budget Committee.
Thoughtful
Identify the euphemism in the following statement: Though there remain a good number of underprivileged families in our nation, most people fare better than they would in most other countries. A) People in the country. B) State of the economy. C) Most other countries. D) Underprivileged families.
Underprivileged families
Which of the following sentences contains a semantic ambiguity? A) When making cookies, be sure to include your children. B) The party begins at 7:30. C) Would you please pass the salt? D) Take the left turn at Maple Street and drive five blocks.
When making cookies, be sure to include your children
Read the following argument carefully and then answer the question below: Pain is pain wherever it occurs. If your neighbor's causing you pain is wrong because of the pain that is caused, we cannot rationally ignore or dismiss the moral relevance of the pain your dog feels. In the argument you just read, the author claims that if someone believes that causing pain to a neighbor is wrong because of the pain that is caused, yet does not agree that causing pain to an animal is wrong on the same grounds, that person is guilty of A) a practical inconsistency. B) egocentrism. C) a logical inconsistency. D) wishful thinking.
a logical inconsistency
The best test for emotive language is to determine whether a reader or listener is emotionally moved by the words in an argument. A) True B) False
false
Which of the following represent serious problems for cultural moral relativism? A) Relativism makes it impossible for us to criticize our own societies' customs and values. B) Relativism rules out the idea of moral progress. C) Relativism can lead to conflicting moral duties. D) All of these.
all of these
Consider the following advertisement: "Giant Mattress Sale Today!" This ad is best described as A) vague. B) over general. C) ambiguous. D) None of these.
ambiguous
Consider a case where James believes that the Earth is flat and where Bonnie believes that the Earth is spherical. According to subjectivism, A) the claim that "the Earth is flat" is true for James. B) the claim that "the Earth is spherical" is true for Bonnie. C) it is impossible for the earth to be both flat and spherical. D) Both a and b.
both a and b
The conclusion of an argument is always either at the beginning or the end of a passage. A) True B) False
false
The experiment conducted by Solomon Asch, in which almost a third of college students who were faced with the unanimous opposition of their peers refused to believe their own eyes and gave answers that were obviously false, illustrates the distorting influence of A) stereotyping. B) group bias. C) conformism. D) self-interested thinking.
conformism
The passage, "The weather is cold because there is low atmospheric pressure in the region," is an example of a/an A) argument. B) illustration. C) report. D) explanation.
explanation
A deductive argument is always intended to show that its conclusion is highly plausible. A) True B) False
false
A deductive argument with all true premises and a false conclusion is guaranteed to be invalid. A) True B) False
false
A deductive argument with true premises and a true conclusion is always valid. A) True B) False
false
A definition by subclass requires that one identify the general class under which the term being defined is a subclass. A) True B) False
false
A distinct benefit of cultural moral relativism is that it reinforces the moral value of tolerance. A) True B) False
false
A good definition should use only one of the methods discussed in the text. A) True B) False
false
A person is guilty of logical inconsistency if they believe or say one thing yet do another. A) True B) False
false
According to the principle of charity, one should never attribute to an arguer a weaker argument when the evidence clearly implies that they strongly believe their conclusion is true. A) True B) False
false
According to the strict necessity test, if it is physically impossible for the conclusion to be false when the premises are true, then the argument is definitely deductive. A) True B) False
false
According to the text, the main goal of a college education is to teach students what to think. A) True B) False
false
All cogent arguments are valid. A) True B) False
false
All deductive arguments move from general premises to particular conclusions. A) True B) False
false
An argument with all false premises and a false conclusion is guaranteed to be invalid. A) True B) False
false
An argument with all true premises and a true conclusion is guaranteed to be valid. A) True B) False
false
Any time we wish things would work out for the best, we are engaged in what critical thinkers call wishful thinking. A) True B) False
false
Because cultural moral relativism is a seriously flawed view, it has nothing at all to teach us as critical thinkers. A) True B) False
false
Critical thinking demands that we never make any assumptions whatsoever. A) True B) False
false
Dictionaries provide definitions that are usually reliable because they describe the way words are universally used in all times. A) True B) False
false
Egocentrism is the tendency to see one's own culture as superior to others. A) True B) False
false
If a word has two or more distinct meanings, it is ambiguous no matter what the context in which the word is used. A) True B) False
false
If the main claim in a passage pertains to an event that occurred in the past, the passage should never be treated as an argument. A) True B) False
false
In order to determine whether an argument is valid, one must first know whether the premises are true. A) True B) False
false
In the section of the text, which discusses the standard of relevance, the story recounting Abraham Lincoln's ploy to discredit an opposing attorney is intended to illustrate the point that one should always be careful to dress appropriately if they are trying to persuade a jury. A) True B) False
false
Ought imperatives can't be statements since they are only expressions of opinion. A) True B) False
false
Relativism is the view that the truth is relative to an independently existing and objective reality. A) True B) False
false
Reports should not be treated as arguments unless the report is of another person's argument. A) True B) False
false
Rhetorical questions should not be treated as statements, since they cannot be either true or false. A) True B) False
false
So long as a definition specifies some uniquely identifying property of a term, it is a good definition for that term. A) True B) False
false
The Principle of Charity should only be applied to those passages that assert claims that we agree with. A) True B) False
false
The standard of Clarity is primarily concerned with communication between individuals and has little bearing on our personal goals and abilities. A) True B) False
false
Complete the following argument by providing the correct conclusion: "If interest rates keep dropping, then the housing market will be stimulated. If the housing market is stimulated, the value of homes will rise. Thus, " A) the value of homes will rise. B) if the housing market is stimulated the interest rates will keep dropping. C) interest rates will keep dropping. D) if the interest rates keep dropping, then the value of homes will rise.
if the interest rates keep dropping, then the value of homes will rise
Which of the following is not true of a valid deductive argument? A) if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true. B) the truth of the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion. C) if the premises are false, then the conclusion must be false. D) it is logically inconsistent to assert all the premises as true and deny the conclusion.
if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true
Consider the following passage: "There are many species in North America whose venom is poisonous to humans. These include the Black Widow spider, the Western Rattle Snake, and the Portuguese Man O'War." This passage is an example of a/an A) conditional statement B) illustration. C) argument. D) explanation.
illustration
When a statement has no pertinence to the subject at issue it is said to be: A) an unwarranted assumption. B) irrelevant. C) logically inconsistent. D) unclear.
irrelevant
According to the Principle of Charity, one should A) always attribute to an arguer a stronger argument when they have failed to provide sufficient reasons in support of their conclusion. B) never attribute to an arguer a weaker argument when the evidence reasonably permits us to attribute to him or her a stronger one. C) attempt to fix the errors we find in the arguments of others in order to make them stronger. D) accept the arguments of others unless we have absolute proof that their conclusions are false.
never attribute to an arguer a weaker argument when the evidence reasonably permits us to attribute to him or her a stronger one
In response to the question, "Where did you drive on your RV tour this summer?" Samuel responded, "On a lot of roads." Samuel's response is best described as A) vague. B) over general. C) ambiguous. D) None of these.
over general
According to the text, is the standard of critical thinking that demands we ask such questions as, "What exactly is the problem we're facing? What exactly are the alternatives? What exactly are the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative?" A) Accuracy. B) Clarity. C) Precision. D) Consistency.
precision
Many politicians oppose any legislation that would limit how much of their personal money they could use to fund their own campaigns. At least some of these politicians hold this perspective only because they are very wealthy and such law would effectively remove any advantage this wealth would bring them. Such politicians likely hold their view as a result of A) self-serving bias. B) an unfounded assumption. C) conformism. D) self-interested thinking.
self-interested thinking
Despite the fact that multiple studies show that advertising is effective and does impact the decision making of a large percentage of people, polls indicate that the majority of people believe they are basically immune to the influences of ads. This indicates that at least some of these people are guilty of: A) sociocentrism. B) stereotyping. C) superstition. D) self-serving bias.
self-serving bias
One point that moral relativism fails to account for is: A) different cultures do in fact disagree about what is morally right. B) God is the objective source from which all moral truth derives. C) that there is deep disagreement in ethics between individuals and between cultures does not necessarily mean that there is no objective moral truth. D) All of these.
that there is deep disagreement in ethics between individuals and between cultures does not necessarily mean that there is no objective moral truth
An argument in which the conclusion does not follow necessarily from the premises should nonetheless be treated as deductive if A) the conclusion in the argument is clearly true. B) it is physically impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion false. C) the language or the context makes clear that the arguer intended to offer a logically conclusive argument. D) the premises are true and would make the conclusion likely to be true.
the language or the context makes clear that the arguer intended to offer a logically conclusive argument
A factual dispute occurs when opponents disagree over A) the meanings of words. B) the definition of a fact. C) the relevant facts. D) All of these.
the relevant facts
A person is engaged in wishful thinking when: A) they always wish for the best. B) they believe something to be true only after considering all the evidence pertaining to that belief. C) they believe something is true primarily because they wish it were true. D) they believe something is true because a credible authority has confirmed it to be true.
they believe something is true primarily because they wish it were true
According to the text, a vague word typically divides things into three classes: those things to which the word clearly applies, those things to which it clearly does not apply, and A) those things that are named by other words. B) those things to which the term used to apply. C) those things to which it may or may not apply. D) those things, which the dictionary specifies.
those things to which it may or may not apply
A conditional statement, though not itself an argument, can serve as a premise or conclusion in an argument. A) True B) False
true
A sentence such as "Don't drive drunk" could be a command in one context and an ought imperative in another. A) True B) False
true
A word's connotation includes the images and feelings associated with the word. A) True B) False
true
According to the principle of charity test, it is sometimes preferable to treat an argument as inductive even when the arguer uses deduction indicators such as "it is certain that." A) True B) False
true
According to the text, an argument that fails the strict necessity test should still be treated as deductive when the argument has a pattern of reasoning that is characteristically deductive, and nothing else about the argument indicates clearly that the argument is meant to be inductive. A) True B) False
true
Accuracy is an important intellectual standard because believing false or inaccurate information nearly always leads to making bad decisions. A) True B) False
true
All deductive arguments are either sound or unsound. A) True B) False
true
All sound arguments have true premises. A) True B) False
true
Ambiguities that result from uncertainty about the meaning of an individual word or phrase are called semantic ambiguities. A) True B) False
true
An explanation is intended to show why something is the case, not that it is the case. A) True B) False
true
An imperative sentence should not be treated as an ought imperative if it is intended to serve as an order or proposal. A) True B) False
true
Any given sentence can contain more than one statement. A) True B) False
true
Every argument must have at least one premise and a conclusion. A) True B) False
true
If an argument is cogent, all of its premises must be true. A) True B) False
true
If the main claim in a passage is a matter of common knowledge, then the passage is likely to be an explanation. A) True B) False
true
In an explanation, the explanandum is often an accepted matter of fact or a matter of common knowledge. A) True B) False
true
In an inductive argument, the author's intention is to show that some conclusion would likely be true if the premises are true. A) True B) False
true
Moral subjectivism is the view that what is morally right for an individual is whatever that individual believes is morally right. A) True B) False
true
Open-mindedness and impartiality are key ingredients of fairness. A) True B) False
true
Providing a context for the use of a term in a definitions helps to avoid ambiguity. A) True B) False
true
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many teen girls believe that they cannot or will not become pregnant after engaging in unprotected sex for the first time. They believe this primarily because they would prefer that it were true. In such cases, these teens are guilty of A) wishful thinking. B) egocentrism. C) the herd instinct. D) stereotyping.
wishful thinking
